CHARLOTTE — Carter Welling’s status for Clemson’s ACC Tournament semifinal matchup against North Carolina on Thursday is no longer in question.

Welling has officially been ruled out for the contest.

The 6-foot-11 junior suffered an injury to his right knee late in the first half of Wednesday’s 71-62 win over Wake Forest. Welling was driving the basketball to his right when his right knee gave out and sent him tumbling to the ground in pain. He was helped off the court and went straight into the locker room. He was back on the end of the bench late in the game, sporting a brace on his right knee and using crutches to get around.

During his postgame press conference following the win over the Demon Deacons, head coach Brad Brownell wasn’t optimistic about the big man’s chances of playing on Thursday.

“Obviously, they are going to do MRIs and all of those things,” Brownell said. “I find it unlikely he will play tomorrow, but I have not been told anything definitive.”

Before his injury, Welling scored five points in 12 minutes, making two of his four shots, while pulling down four rebounds. The 240-pound junior is second on the team with 10.4 points per game and leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.

Clemson and North Carolina are scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Story photo courtesy of Bob Donnan-Imagn Images